Improvement in machines for assorting temple-teeth



F. J. BUTCHER ac. E. cnuncn. MACHINE FOR ASSOEIING TEMPLE TEETH. No.174,902. Patented March 21,1876.

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-PEfm. PHBTO-LITROGRAPMEI'I. WASHINGTON. D O.

Nrrnn STATES IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES Foe AssQ RTlN PATENT m ms YPEII-EPUTPQEEEB Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 174,902, dated .Mar-jh2 1, 187 6 application January 21, 1876. l I I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK J. DUTGHER, of Hopedale, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, and CHARLES E. CHURCH, of the city and county of Hartford, inthe State of Connecticut, have in ented an Improved Mechanism for Assorting Temple- Teet-h, &c., of which the following is a specification:

This invention is specially adapted to assort loom-temple teeth or pins, but it may be applied to assort nails, screws, or pegs, for various other uses, but unprovided with flanged or enlarged heads, and to place such teeth or nails in such position that all the points project in the same direction.

' The invention consists 1n a movable celled carrier, provided with cells corresponding with the entire shape of the teeth to be selected and assorted, in combination with a brush or clearer to remove from the cells of the carrier any teeth lodged therein that fail to correspond in the .position of their points with the point-receiving portion of the cell; also, in a celled carrier combined with are- I ceiver to receive the teeth or'nails from the cells of he carrier; and in other features of invention hereafter set forth.

' Figure 1 represents a side view of the assorting mechanism; Fig. 2, a View of the opposite side of the machine, with the side of the hopper removed; Fig. 3, an inner side view of the hub or rest by which the carrier is sustained and over which it moves, and of the ejector to remove a tooth from a cell; Fig. i I I I I I I I l I ratchet-hub, a, aud' beSid'e it' on, sha'ftt is a foam, 0, arrange'tht'o strike and. move a "pawl- 4;, an edge yiew of the carrier; Fig. 5, a side and edge View of the receiver; Fig. 6, an end view thereof; Fig. 7, a view of the follower arranged in the receiver; Fig. 8, a modified form of carrier; Fig. 9, a temple-tooth enlarged; Fig. 10, atube filled with teeth, as hereinafter described.

The frame a of the machine is of any suitable shape, and sustains the driving shaft I), provided with 'two pulleys or wheels, 0, (one only being shown, the other being of same size and directly behind the one shown in Fig. 1,) and with a cam, d, and an eccentric, e, the shaft in this instance being rotated by a during the. enem t'h crank-handle,- but instead of the handle a pulley may be used; Onepulley, c is connected by a band, g, or otherwise, with a pulley or wheel, h, on'a'shaft,i,haviug connected with it a stirrer or agitz ztonj, the'latterfplaced'in a hopper, k, in which are placed the teeth or nails to be assortfidjf S0, as :to turn in the direction ofth arrowthereon, and crowd the teeth up against the carrier 19, and a second pulley or wheel (notfshownj) islconnected, by a crossed band, l, or otherwise, with a ,wheel'for pulley, m, on ashaft, mprovidedwith abrush, or equivalent, o, also'showujas arranged in the hopper and adaptedto fmove intlie direction of the arrow, soas to remove from the cells q in the carrier "anyteeththat may lodgeim- I properly inthe cells;

Figs. 3 and A as a stationary annularplate, provided with a curved rim,f ,"an d an annular flange, e atter fittin' 'with n heis ii dr cal end of the carrier, forming] a bottom to t cells a. .eXc ptifl T-th m ni ere the flange is omitted,lin' order to permit th e 'ejector v, composed in "this [instance of a ling'er' 'p rovided with two prongs gadapted to enterthe qcell from the' underf' side, the' fingers being 5 carried by ajslidej, igj, adapted to be raisedby; a cam, d, on shaft b,andi' to. bedepressed bya .spring, 3 bearing on the pin x,'or in any other; suitable or known way,-'tl1e particular devices .for moving the ejector not being essential, as o the form of such maybe readily varied in many Ways.

The carrier is shown asprovided with a carrier intermitti'ngl'y the,

we e tj st... The devic'rjesffor i "gani 'im rmr ing motion tothe car maylievari'ousl'ymodified, and (for the devices" sht'iwnfwe mayuse any suitablejoi known device s -to impart an intermittin g m'otionjfrom a continuously-movingshaftg m The carrier is provided with cells q, of a form corresponding :with one-half the "tooth i sr re ea tooth -0i-"1iau'cut 'in the direction of its length.

The carrier will be of a thickness substantially equal to the diameter of the teeth to be operated on, and at the pointed or tapering end off'the cell-we" fill. in the bottom, forming an inclined support forthe pointed end of the tooth, and a tooth correctlyeplaced'in the carrier will present its upper side substantially tooth or pin lodgesintheicelh with its point in the direction of the point d of the cell, then; such -.tooth or pin will qpass with the carrierfrom -the hopper, and over the ejector, butit' a tooth or vpin rests in the cell with its unpointed cnd at the point end .of the cell, then the-brushor clearer 0 will remove from the, cell the tooth; or pin not fitted correctly into: tbecell. A; temple toothor pin, 6, cor rectly placed inacell and removed from the hopper, will; be brought over the ejector, as shown-inFig. 3, said figure showing the carrier removed", and with the toothplaced directly over -the ejector, ,the;ejector is raised carrying withit thetooth; or pin, placing it inthe receiver f", provided with a channel, g. (SeeEigafimnd 6.)} -At thelower end ofthis channel'- isj placed a pivoted catch, h, held pressed into the channel. and across it by a spring, i, and as the tooth isp'ressed by the ejector into the channel the catch yields, allows the tooth to pass it,-and thenmoves forward, under the tooth and enters between the prongs'of the ejector, and serves to sustain the tooth when, the ejector is withdrawn. A follower, vthis channel bears on the uppermost pin .in j the receiveryand rises as the receiver is filled. f This receiver is held tothe frame in thisinstance, byal clamp, k, controlled by a set screw topermit the receiver when fi-lled-to be removed from the machine anrhplaced in another machine in which the pins,..teeth,}or nails, so arranged with points all inipne direction, may be qdriven from the receive 'n to thearticle, to be made.

If lo vm;temples are to bemade, the. receive filled with temple-tee h willbe removed We". ma hin ad el et teeth in the usnal- -roller,:and;the recei'verwill be placed in sueh fpofsition that thepoints of the teeth willibe. uppermost,,(see 1 ig.= 6,) and instead ofi'ithe; catch a.. .rotating separating device adapted m'fi'ttbout we tooth, or a device adapted,to separate one tooth from the 'row, may. he used to. remove the teth, one by one, from the receiver, and as each'tooth issues from the receiver it may be caught between fingers or equivalents that will hold and present the tooth in the proper position to be driven by suitable mechanism into a roller. The follower will be pressed forward against the pins to keep them fromnpsetting.

Itis obvious that the shape of the carrier may be changed, and we may use a disk, as in Fig. 8, wherein the cells q are in a flat. annular disk, and, in connection with such disk, a support for the teeth or pins will be employed under the cells, except at the point where the teeth are to be discharged; This disk will preferably be placed atv an angle to the horizon, and will have an intermitting motion imparted to it, as described, with reference to the other carrier, and a clearer or brush will operate to remove teeth not properly. within the cells.

Instead of employing the agitator, the hopper might be arranged with an inclined bottom, so as to direct the mass of teeth upon the wheel just in advance of the clearer 0.

So far the only way described for discharg- 7 ing the teeth from the carrier has been by the ejector, but it is obvious that the receiver may be placed at the under side of the cell, and when a cell comes opposite an opening,'as at u, in the bottom-forming rim for the cells, the pins or teeth being unsupported at their unpointed ends will drop through the cells butts first, the cells being large enough for this purpose. The teeth cannot possibly fall point first, because the pointed end is supported by the carrier after the supporting surface or rim sustaining the butts is 're-.-

moved. This arrangement would deliver the teeth in a tube or receiver with the butts all in one direction, as in Fig. 10, from which tube the teeth may bedelivered one by one to a pair of fingers or holders, and then to the driving or setting mechanism.

We are not aware that a mechanism has ever before been devised to automatically [select and present, with points all in one direction, teeth, nails, pins, screws, or pegs, unprovided with enlarged heads or flanged heads, and such being the case we do not desire or intend to limit this invention to the particular devices shown for performingthe several novel and useful steps, as described,-

but intend by our claim to cover any equiv= aleut mechanisms adapted, through cells in a carrier or plate, to select' the teeth or other articles to be arranged, with points in one and the same direction.

The follower is held in the receiver f by means of the plate m, and is provided with a friction-spring to hold it in position when not moved positively. A pin, n, and spring hold the arm b against the cam.

In Fig. 10 we show an escapement, r, and a rod, 15, to move it, and the movement of the escapement permits the teeth to pass out of the tube 00, one at each vibration of the escapemen t, and a movable rest, u, willreceive the butt of the tooth and sustain it until caught by a nipper to remove it to the position where it is to be driven. The upper end of the tube or receiver as, (see Fig. 10,) adapted to receive the teeth allowed. to fall therein, is inclined as shown at w, the inclined portion sloping upward in the direction of the rotation of the carrier, the arrow 2 showing this direction 5 and this inclination is necessary, because the tooth falls as the carrier moves, and the inclined surface gives the tooth time enough to fall or be'received on the inclined surface, and the tooth then slides down such surface into the tube. In some cases we may provide the lower end of the tube or receiver 00 with a transverse opening at its foot, and we will use a horizontallyreciprocating' ejector to drive the teeth from the tube into a receiver suitably constructed to receive and retain the teeth parallel each with the other.

We claim 1. A carrier provided with cells shaped to conform to the entire outline ends included of the tooth, pin, or nail to be operated on, and adapted to receive teeth, pins, or nails from a mass of teeth, pins, or nails, and remove them from the mass to assort them, in combination with a clearer to remove from the cells, teeth or pins lodgedtherein with the points or butts in opposition to the point or butt-receiving portions of the cells, all substantially as described.

2 A celled carrier provided with cells shaped to correspond with and to receive the entire sides and ends of the teeth or nails, in combination with a clearer to remove teeth improperly lodged in the cells, and with an ejector to remove the teeth or nails from the cells, substantially as described.

.or pins with points arranged in the same dito support the nails except at the point at which they are to be discharged.

4:. A movable carrier provided with cells to receive teeth or nails, as described, a support placed under the cells, and adapted to sustain such teeth or nails except at the point where they are to be discharged, in combination with a receiver to receive the teeth or nails, with points directed in the same direction.

5. A movable celled carrier, substantially as described, a support, and an ejector, in combination with a receiver, to receiy e the teeth rection.

6. A receiver and catch, in combination with an ejector provided with a forked end, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a receiver for the teeth or nails and a catch to retain the last tooth inserted in the receiver, with a follower to keep the first tooth in the receiver in a position parallel with the last tooth, substantially as described.

8. A celled carrier and a clearer, in combination with an ejector and a receiver, combined and adapted to operate substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK J. DUTOHER.

CHAS, E. OHUROEL' Witnesses: 'H. A. BOWEN,

LEWIS SPERRY. 

